Generally, trailers for hauling oversize, overweight, and over length loads have previously been described. These heavy loads may include, for example, cranes, agricultural implements, concrete structures, construction equipment, construction materials, oversized vehicles or the like. Prior trailers capable of transporting massive or heavy loads typically include multiple axles and massive tow bars and tongues coupled to the trailer frame. Often, these heavy haul trailers must provide some level of support under the cargo, throughout the length of the cargo, to help reduce the torsional and related forces the cargo may be subjected to during transport and the tow bar must withstand the required towing forces applied to the trailer. Further, sloped and uneven roads may cause additional torsional stress on the cargo and tow bar. These potential applied forces require a tow bar of sufficient strength and mass to withstand these forces.
Due to weight of the tongue, prior tow bars are typically difficult to connect out in the field manually without using some sort of additional equipment to lift the heavy tow bar sufficiently high to connect to a hitch of a towing vehicle. Also, when the tow bar is rigidly fixed to the frame of the trailer, lifting the tow bar also requires lifting a proportional weight of the trailer distributed to the tongue or tow bar of the trailer. To reduce the required lifting force, prior tow bars have been hinged with mechanisms coupled to the tow bar to apply an upward force to the tongue to aid the user in lifting the tow bar. However, when lowering a tow bar having these prior mechanisms a user must counteract the force of the mechanism to lower the tow bar. Further, prior tow bars are labor intensive to connect and disconnect.
Hence, there is a need for a tow bar capable of use on a trailer system towable over smooth and rough terrains at both low and high speeds. There is also a need for a tow bar that is easily lifted and coupled to a tow vehicle hitch without the need for additional fork lifts, skid loaders or other lift equipment.